The present invention relates to pick-up truck bed extenders and more particularly to a truck bed extender particularly useful for both extended cab picks-ups and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) having beds.
Pickup trucks have become extremely popular, and currently outsell conventional autos. A high percentage (85% plus) of pick-up trucks are now made with extended cabs, or quad cabs (4 doors). As a result of the increased cab size, the space in the truck bed has been reduced accordingly.
Truck bed extenders have been introduced to increase the useable truck bed length. Known truck bed extenders are pivotally mounted to the truck bed, and rotate from a stored position in the truck bed to an extended position over a lowered tailgate. In the extended position, the useable space of the truck bed includes space above the lowered tailgate. When the truck bed extender is pivoted back to the stored position, the truck bed extender takes up about two feet of the already shortened truck bed.
Additionally, truck bed extenders must be designed to fit specific truck bed widths and other variations, and new widths and other variations may arise as new pick-up and SUV models are introduced. Known truck bed extenders therefore require multiple models for compatibility with a wide range of pick-ups and SUVs, resulting in an increase in the stock or inventory level of distributors and dealers.
Known truck bed extenders also have a continuous curved profile which reduce space in the extended truck bed.